ringtail

noun

ring·tail | \ ˈriŋ-ˌtāl

How to pronounce ringtail (audio)

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Definition of ringtail

1 : raccoon

2 : a carnivore (Bassariscus astutus) of the western U.S. and Mexico that is related to and resembles the raccoon

— called also cacomistle, civet cat, ringtail cat, ringtailed cat

3 : capuchin sense 3

Examples of ringtail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 1986, the ringtail was named state mammal of Arizona. — René A. Guzman, ExpressNews.com, "Ringtails, a catlike creature with the head of a fox, on the rise in San Antonio’s Stone Oak as sprawl takes over their habitat," 19 Jan. 2021 In 2008 and ’09, their colleague Janet Fyfe at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory trapped 42 ringtail possums in the area. — Brendan Borrell, The Atlantic, "Australia Has a Flesh-Eating-Bacteria Problem," 3 July 2020 Also on the list: badger, coati, fox, ringtail cat and raccoon. — Debra Utacia Krol, azcentral, "Feds want to open or expand hunting on 4 national wildlife refuges in Arizona," 11 Apr. 2020 Another group of possums is the ringtails, which reside in communal nests called dreys. — National Geographic, "Possums," 6 Mar. 2020 But there is no higher authority for the rescue of wayward ringtails on skyscrapers, the raccoon had to work it out for itself. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Raccoon Congress," 13 June 2018 The young biologist had watched the eaglets through a scope from across the water for weeks as the birds' parents brought them striped bass, channel catfish and what looked like a ringtail. — Brandon Loomis, azcentral, "For Arizona's once-dwindling bald eagle population, recovery starts in the nest," 1 Apr. 2018 This led to several unexpected discoveries: First, that the ringtail and the ruffed lemurs, who both eat fruit and vegetables, had the same metabolic pathways. — Kat Eschner, Smithsonian, "What Lemur Guts Can Tell Us About Human Bowel Disease," 12 Dec. 2017 Animals found on Ubirr's walls include barramundi (Asian sea bass), catfish, mullet, goannas (Australian monitor lizard), long-necked turtles, pig-nosed turtles, rock ringtail possums and wallabies. — Smithsonian, "Learn more about Aboriginal Rock Art in the Northern Territory.," 7 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ringtail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near ringtail

ring-tailed eagle

ring-tailed lemur

Statistics for ringtail

Last Updated

30 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Ringtail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ringtail. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.

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